


On the Tides of Fate

by kenkai_san



Series: Final Fantasy VIII Series [1]
Category: Final Fantasy VIII
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-05-31
Updated: 2011-05-31
Packaged: 2017-10-19 23:13:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/206261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kenkai_san/pseuds/kenkai_san
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set about a year after the game. How - and why - did they wind up where they are? Six heroes sit together and ponder over this.</p>
            </blockquote>





	On the Tides of Fate

On the beach that ran along the old orphanage’s perimeter, six friends were gathered around an array of lit sparklers late one night. “Wow. How long has it been since we’ve set off fireworks here?” Selphie wondered.

“At least fourteen years,” Quistis answered, looking at the sparklers thoughtfully as she put a hand to her chin. “Yes, I think that’s right. We were really young the last time we did this.”

Zell nodded in assent as he kneeled next to the fireworks. He rocked back and forth on the balls of his heels in his constant need to be moving. “We were about five. It would have been right before I was adopted, and just as Garden was forming.” He glanced from friend to friend. “Am I right?”

“It would have been around that time, yeah,” Irvine agreed, taking a sip from his drink. “A lot happened. Quisty was adopted then, too. Squall and Seifer went to Balamb, Sefie to Trabia, and I was sent to Galbadia.” He shook his head, as if tossing away some stray thought.

Rinoa, who had been leaning against Squall and enjoying the warmth from his body, craned her head towards Irvine. “It is strange. My mother died the same year, too.” She rested her head against Squall’s shoulder, and smiled when he put his arm around her. “Makes you wonder a little, doesn’t it?”

Selphie frowned in concentration, although there was still something cute and lighthearted in her frown. “Yeah, that _is_ odd! Why do you think that is?”

Quistis shook her head. “Coincidence, Selphie. I mean, the four of you getting sent off to Garden was because of its formation, that’s clear enough. Zell and I just happened to be adopted around the same time. And, unfortunately, Rinoa’s mother also happened to get into that car crash.” She stretched out her arms and shrugged. “There isn’t some overlying reason or conspiracy behind it all.”

“Maybe there is.”

Squall was met with five blank stares, and he glanced away uneasily.

Irvine tilted his head to the side, genuinely curious. “Where did that come from?”

“He’s tapping into his inner-conspiracy theorist!” Selphie suggested jokingly.

Obviously embarrassed, Squall shifted away from the group before Rinoa laid a hand on his shoulder.

“Guys,” she said to Selphie, Zell, and Irvine in warning before turning back to Squall. “I know what you mean,” she started, in hopes to understand what Squall was thinking and perhaps to ease him, “Sometimes, it does feel like something bigger is at work, doesn’t it?”

He nodded to her, his body visibly relaxing as the teasing ceased. “A little, at least for me. It’s sort of like what Irvine said back in Trabia,” he said, surprising the sniper by mentioning him, “I didn’t have an assortment of opportunities and choices in life. I am where I am mainly because that’s just where fate has led me. I didn’t _choose_ to be an orphan, or to grow up without Sis, or go to Garden.”

Selphie nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, me too! And even though we chose to become SeeDs, it was only because we didn’t have much of an option, otherwise.”

“No, we always have choices,” Quistis argued, “but I think what you may mean is that some choices were just… unthinkable. I could have stayed with my adoptive family, but it was obvious to me what I had to do. Squall, Seifer, Selphie, and Irvine all could have left Garden at any point. Zell could never have joined when he was thirteen. Rinoa could have stayed with her father.”

Irvine tipped his hat back, regarding Quistis thoughtfully. “So, it’s like having an illusionary free will.”

“Sometimes.” Squall leaned forward a little, brushing dark bangs from his eyes. “I know there are times in my life where I had realistic options. I didn’t have to give Seifer the choice for his punishment, or talk to Laguna ever again. I…”

They all knew the unspoken choice he did make: the one to become a knight. No one said anything. They just nodded at him in silent understanding, and let him continue. “Yeah. A lot of the choices were small, but I think they made a difference.” Squall shrugged. “But that’s me.”

“I feel the same.” Quistis clasped her hands together on her lap, and looked up at the starry sky. “I didn’t have to become an instructor. I didn’t have to go after Seifer the day he ran off to Timber: any of the SeeDs could have gone after him. Seifer didn’t even have to do that.”

Zell leaned over, and gently laid a hand on Quistis’ shoulder. “You still beating yourself up over that one?”

As she slowly lowered her head, Quistis closed her eyes and sighed heavily. “I don’t know. I accept a lot of things that happen, knowing that maybe they do for a reason, but that’s one event I wish I could change. Why did it have to be Seifer? Sometimes, I wonder if he should have wound up with us, since he was an orphan like the five of us.”

Rinoa shook her head, tucking some stray hairs behind her ear. “I don’t think so, Quis. Seifer was always one to follow his own path, a lot of the time on his own, even where Fujin and Raijin were concerned. As much as it’s hard to admit, he went down the path that he did of his own volition, mainly.”

“I get what you mean, though,” Selphie murmured quietly to Quistis. “I don’t like excluding him, but it’s sort of inevitable. Sometimes, I feel as if we’re lucky that even the five of us were able to reunite after all this time.”

“One of us was bound to stray off,” Irvine said. “You know, while I grew up in G-Garden, I thought about trying to find you guys, but I always put it off. I guess I was afraid of what I would find, or what would happen as a result. It was a choice I had that I didn’t go through on.” He punched his fist into his other palm. “But now that I found all of you again, I’m choosing to make sure it stays that way.”

“Yeah!” Zell jumped to his feet, and pumped his fists in the air. “Look, we got pushed around for nearly nineteen years, not having a lot of choices. But we’re adults now! No more of this ‘drifted on the tides of fate’ crap! I’m gonna be more pro-active in steering my life, baby!”

Quistis bit softly on her bottom lip, her body slightly shaking from withheld laughter. “That’s very… admirable of you, Zell. A little easier said than done, though.”

“Tch,” Zell swiped his mouth with the back of his hand, “I’ll figure it out. Seriously, though, I get I’ll end up in some places, not necessarily by choice or because ‘fate’ says so, but I’d like to start doing stuff because I chose to do it, and not just whether or not I’ll eat in the cafeteria or in my room. I mean making choices for bigger stuff, too.”

Rinoa smiled encouragingly at Zell. “Go for it. I think you’ll be happier in the long run, or at least a little more fulfilled. I don’t think it’s a bad stance to adopt.”

Irvine leaned back on his elbows on the sand and smirked at Zell. “All right. What’ll be your first big decision?”

Zell grinned. “I’m getting myself a drink!” he said happily as he high-stepped away from the group.

“Get me one, too, please!” Selphie called after him.

“Pssh! Get your own!”

Selphie’s happy demeanor quickly turned murderous as she got to her feet. “I think I’ll take Zell’s stance and _choose_ to beat him up.”

Before Irvine could stop her, she took off, shouting at Zell as he ran away from her. Irvine sighed, and tipped his hat. “I’ll go after them. Which one of the two I help will depend entirely on how I’m feeling. Free will and all that, right?” he said with a wink, before getting to his feet and shuffling after the pair.

The remaining three friends sat in silence for a few moments as Irvine disappeared into the orphanage. Suddenly, they heard something break from inside the building, and shared a collective wince.

“One of these days,” Quistis muttered under her breath, “maybe I’ll decide to just let them be, or fight amongst themselves. That’d be a change.” She hopped onto her feet, and gave the couple a quick smile before hurrying towards the house.

Rinoa giggled into her knight’s shoulder. “Looks like we’re alone.”

He leaned his head against hers. “Yeah. One of the few times fate works in my favor.”

“Mmm.” Rinoa snuggled closer into his side. “Do you think it was anything bad?” she asked.

“You mean, what we heard break? Probably not.” Squall sighed. “Zell and Selphie were probably running around the orphanage, Irvine probably riled them up further, and they got overzealous and knocked something over.”

He was a little surprised at her slow smile, and the way she suddenly hugged him from the side.

“You do know your friends pretty well,” she clarified.

“Well, fate sort of shoved you guys on me,” he said with a poorly hidden smile.

Rinoa smacked his arm lightly. “Hey! That’s mean.”

He simply chuckled while she pouted for a few minutes, secretly enjoying her overdramatic anger. Squall then leaned his forehead against hers, his smile gone and his eyes bearing into hers. “So, this free will thing…”

“You’re jumping on that bandwagon, too?” Rinoa asked lightly, her eyes shining in amusement.

“Sort of. It got me thinking.” Squall pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her. “Rinoa, I’d been putting off asking this because I guess I was just… waiting for fate to push me into it, but Zell’s right. It should be my choice.” He paused, and then asked, “Would you move in with me?”

Rinoa blinked in surprise. “Really? But, Squall-”

“I want to be a part in steering our relationship, not just letting fate decide. It brought us together, I’m pretty sure, but that’s where I’d like to draw the line.”

Flushing a little, Rinoa ducked her head. “That makes me happy, you know. Hearing you say that. And I… I want to do it. Because I really want to, because it’s our choice,” she said.

He smiled widely as he tucked her head under his chin, vaguely wondering in his mind how well this was going to go over with the Headmaster. He pushed that worry off to the side for now, and instead watched the fading glow of the sparklers in contentment.

If he could make the calls about the things that mattered the most in his life, namely Rinoa and his future, well, he supposed he could live with whatever fate decided to throw at him next.


End file.
